Reversal
by j3nnee
Summary: Neal finds out someone close to him is trying to kill him. Happens after "Out of the Box" Spoilers... Whumpage
1. Chapter 1

**Reversal**

**Set after "Out of the Box" Finale episode**

**(updated 03/23/2010 to make a bit more sense with the additional content to come)  
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**(Tuesday: 11:45 am)**

Neal waltzed through the glass doors of the FBI offices he usually worked with his friend and partner, Peter Burke. He had been off duty the past month while he dealt with his feelings about Kate's death. He had tried to come visit Peter a few times but it had been too much for him to deal with. Today though, he had made his way to the offices in hopes of talking to the agent about some things that had been bothering him. He crossed the lower floor, waving to a few people in as _cheerful_ a manner as he could feign while wishing he had chosen another time to show up. It was technically "_lunch_" time but many agents were still at their desks doing paper work or else eating in instead of out. He passed a familiar face and paused to say _hi_.

"Neal! Good to see you." Jones did a little fist bump with the young man but noticed Neal didn't seem his usual cheerful self. He was aware as everyone else Neal thought about what had happened. The con sighed.

"Hey, Jones... was looking for Peter. Is he upstairs?" He looked a bit antsy but Jones did his best impression of casual chitchat.

"You just missed him. Peter was headed to the Deli around the block for some sandwiches. You might still be able to catch him." Neal nodded with a distracted "_wave_" and took off back towards the glass doors and the elevators. He started to push the button to go down but instead walked about a large potted palm in the hallway and made his way through a door marked "_stairs_" as he yanked out his cell and dialed a number. The phone rang a few times before he heard a fumbling sound and then a familiar voice answer.

"Burke." Neal smiled relieved as he rapidly descended the stairs two at a time. He tried to sound cheerful as he spoke.

"Hey, it's me." He heard more movement on the other end and the sound of someone barking out "_Number 45... now serving Number 45!_"

"Neal? Hey, where are you at? I'm at... yes with mustard... Thanks... Sorry. I'm at the Deli." More movement and voices in the background and Neal grinned.

"Yes, Jones told me. I'm heading out into the lobby now and in your direction." Neal heard a loud intake of breath from his friend.

"You're there at the office? I'm going to be there in a few minutes if you want to..." He was interrupted as Neal shook his head at the cell and walked out the sliding doors of the FBI building.

"No, wait for me. I'm already halfway there. Ok?" Neal heard Peter about to protest then another loud breath and he could imagine Peter nodding at him.

"Ok... I'll see you in a few." Neal nodded his head, hanging up the cell and turning the corner at the end of the building as he made his way down the block towards the deli.

Neal was barely halfway to the deli when he saw a familiar figure turn into a nearby parking garage and disappear inside. He blinked trying to wave to the person but their back had been to him. A confused look passed across his face as he followed the figure curiously and made his way after them.

The parking garage was mostly full this time of the day, the smell of car exhaust evident. Neal breathed through his nose as much as possible, tracking the figure a few yards ahead as they headed into a more secluded section of the structure. He began to wonder why Peter would be heading into this parking garage when he put his car into a whole other structure down the street. Neal didn't think about it too much till he heard voices murmuring softly up ahead. He paused and stayed out of sight trying to listen but hearing nothing he could recognize.

Neal finally peeked furtively around the wall and found himself looking at the back of Peter's head yet again. He hadn't seen the man's face but he knew it was Peter. That jacket... that suit... the hair style. _It was unmistakable_! He continued to try and hear the conversation without result but something else made him blink. Another figure just out of sight and behind a pillar reached out to shake Peter's hand and he saw the ring. It was the man from the picture... it had to be! He tried to peer around and see the man's face but it was hidden.

The young man went back behind the wall and flattened himself against it trying to figure out why Peter would be talking to that person when his cellphone _buzzed_ in his pocket. He fumbled to turn it off and keep from being discovered when he noticed the number on the screen. _It was Peter_! He started to walk away, feeling angry suddenly when the phone stopped buzzing and he saw a new text message appear. It was also from Peter. He reluctantly picked up and read it.

_**Still at Deli. Where are U?**_****

Neal blinked at the message and paused half way out of the area he had seen Peter walk into. If Peter was at the Deli, then who... He didn't have time to think about it because he felt a sudden jolt of electricity hit him in the back and he crumpled to the asphalt, body shuddering. He heard his cell phone hit the cement with a loud crunch and he could just make out the battery and case breaking apart as it hit the ground. He tried to push himself up but someone hit him with another blast of electricity that burned through him like so many pins and needles. His legs refused to work and his arms were useless. He panted trying to catch his breath feeling as if he'd been hit in the back with a 2x4. He'd hit his chin and side of his head against the cement when he fell, a throbbing in his head making him feel a little nauseated. He was only slightly aware of someone standing over him.

"Hello, Neal. Thought you'd follow me although I told you specifically to meet me at the deli?" He felt his arms pulled back behind him tight and handcuffed. He was too weak to move and just lay there limply.

"Pe...ter?" He managed to cough out but he felt rather than saw something blunt smack him across the temple as he heard a familiar voice chide him.

"You were always a little too _curious_ for your own good." The voice trailed off to nothing as the young man felt himself pass out. 


	2. Chapter 2

**(Chapter 2)**

**(Tuesday: 12:40 pm)**

Peter had been fortunate that Hughes had understood the necessity of allowing Neal to stay away from work while he recovered from the shock of Kate's death and his own near death experience. Reese had actually been way more than understanding as if he knew exactly what was at stake. Peter had been glad for that and managed to keep the young man off his anklet but under June's and his own careful watch. June had been more than happy to help, being worried about the young man's well-being more than anyone. She was a God send if nothing else and a great buffer for the young man in his time of need. Even El had volunteered to have Neal help her out at work when he felt up to being around people. Everyone was rallying for his continued happiness and hoping he would feel better soon.

The agent looked down at his watch. It was nearly 1 pm and the con hadn't shown up yet. Where was Neal? It wasn't like him to NOT show up when he said he would. Peter glanced around the deli and then at the front doors but he didn't see Neal anywhere. He pulled out his cell phone and started a call but Neal didn't pick up. The agent sighed annoyedly hoping he wasn't going to have to chide the young man about something, sending a quick text. He immediately saw that it was received and waited for an answer. Nothing. Now he was officially worried if not concerned the young man had been distracted by something.

With nothing more to do, Peter finished his sandwich, threw the wrapper away and carried his drink out with him. He stopped briefly to pick up a pre-made chicken salad for Neal, figuring he hadn't eaten and left. Peter made his way down the block and passed the parking garage without looking at it. He never used the place since the FBI had their own spots just around the corner. He turned the side of the building and made his way up to the front of the FBI offices and entered, making his way towards the elevators. He nodded to a few familiar faces and then stepped inside the elevator car and watched the doors shut. It was as those same doors were closing he thought he saw something strange but he couldn't verify since he waited too long to hit the "_open_" button and the elevator started it's ascent.

Peter shrugged. It was weird to think he saw what he saw but no... it was just too strange. He shrugged it off and waited as the elevator made its way up and finally opened on his floor without any stops. Peter stepped out and into the small lobby, passed through the glass doors and into the lower level of the FBI offices. He saw Jones wave at him and look a bit confused.

"Hey boss. Uhm... where's Caffrey?" Peter looked at the young agent and then around the offices.

"I was about the ask the same thing. He called me to tell me he was headed over but never made it." Peter's face grew thoughtful in a worried kind of manner which the other agent seemed to sense.

"Maybe he saw a pretty girl and got distracted?" Peter glanced at Jones with a "_huh_" kind of look but saw the teasing manner in Clinton's eyes and smirked.

"Wouldn't be surprised but no... something's not right." He started for his office with a nod to Jones, making his way up the few stairs. He didn't notice that the young agent had followed him til he heard a cough from behind him. He turned and looked at Jones.

"Yes, Jones?" Peter was distracted, his mind wondering where Neal had disappeared to aswell as the figure he had seen briefly in the FBI's main lobby. He stood at his desk, hands drumming against the desktop.

"You seem rather distracted by something other than just Neal's disappearance. Care to talk?" The young agent seemed genuinely concerned but Peter wasn't sure what to say. Finally he waved the young man in and they sat, door shut.

"Well... on the way in here on the elevator... I could have imagined it but... well ever hear of the term "_doppelganger_?" He saw the agent shrug at him. Peter nodded and continued.

"Well, a _doppelganger_ is basically a _copy_ or _twin_ of another person. Say you are walking down the street and swear you see your brother-in-law on 5th avenue but when you confront him later he says he was nowhere near there but you know you saw him or atleast you think you did. In mythology, they were evil pranksters. Imps of a kind that confused and befuddled." He saw the agent nod in understanding but then give a quizzical look.

"So... what does this have to do with Neal and what you saw in the lobby?" Peter looked at his subordinate and shrugged.

"Maybe nothing but I could have sworn I saw someone that looked _EXACTLY_ like me from the back walking out of the lobby. Same jacket... same haircut... it was uncanny and made the hair on the back of my neck rise. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought they were my twin but I didn't see a face." Jones nodded in reply.

"Strange and that would be creepy. I can see why you were looking concerned and worried. Think it has anything to do with Neal vanishing?" Peter shrugged again.

"Probably nothing. Maybe you're right. Maybe Neal just chased a pretty girl to a cafe or something, and he forgot about me but I don't see him doing that after all the moping he's been doing lately. Too soon after Ka... well... anyhow. Thanks for listening. He probably ended up going home or something. I should call June and El. I'm probably making more out of this than it is... I hope." He smiled weakly at the young agent who nodded and made their exit from the office.

**(Tuesday: 5 PM)**

Five PM rolled around and Peter still hadn't seen hide nor hair of Neal Caffrey. He had called both June and El several times over the course of the afternoon and neither one had seen him since he had left. Now Peter was beginning to worry. It was especially inconvenient that the young con would go missing when he didn't have the anklet on. Peter sighed and rubbed at his temples. He'd been developing a pretty good headache since the whole incident had happened and was glad that Hughes hadn't come around asking about Neal. Thank goodness for small miracles.

He heard a knock on his office door, glanced up and saw Jones there. He waved the young man in and they chatted.

"Any news on Caffrey?" Peter shook his head, his face dark with worry and other thoughts he didn't want to delve into. What if the young man had run? He shouldn't have and Peter trusted he wouldn't but still... Neal had every reason to but why promise to meet up with him and then not show? It didn't make sense!

"Nothing. El hasn't seen him and neither has June. I'm starting to think... well I don't even want to go there but it is a possibility." Jones nodded with a sad look of his own.

"I hope not but yeah... uhm I won't say anything till you want me to. Ok?" Jones stood up and gave a wink and then waved to his boss and left the office. Peter nodded back and sighed leaning back in his chair. After a moment he sat up and started to type on the PC keyboard. He pulled up some of the surveillance cameras from around the area. It took some fiddling but he finally found what he was looking for.

"What are you doing Neal?" He saw the young man stepping inside the parking garage and disappearing. Peter pulled the footage from a few minutes before and saw something disturbing that made him gasp. On the camera he saw the same figure he had seen in the lobby entering the garage. He couldn't make out a face but from the back it would appear to have been Peter Burke entering the parking garage. No mistaking the copy of his own wardrobe. He looked at the time stamp and then pulled something out his pocket. It was the receipt from the deli. Same time... this was odd and as the movie played on he saw Neal follow his doppelganger into the garage.


	3. Chapter 3

**(Chapter 3)**

**(Tuesday: 7 PM)**

Neal woke up shivering. It wasn't from the cold but from having been tased one too many times. His muscles were spasming in such a way his whole body shuddered occasionally. His arms were still handcuffed behind him but now he felt something like a rag or two stuffed into his mouth and tape pulled over his lips. He opened his eyes but everything was black. He panicked a moment but when he saw a bit of light near his nose he realized he has been blindfolded. Neal tried to calm himself down, his chest tight as he could only breathe through his nose. Finally the tightness eased up and he felt his breathing go back to normal. He tried to listen to what was going on around him but heard very little if nothing.

"Ah. You're awake! Good." He heard a voice say after a few minutes. Neal turned his head trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from but something unexpected happened. He felt himself suddenly lifted up by his wrists which were suddenly pulled up over his head tightly where his feet barely touched the floor. He tried to balance a bit on his tiptoes to alleviate the pull on his wrists and arms but he felt someone strap something like bar between his legs that kept them apart in such a manner it was hard to balance. He struggled helplessly, a soft chuckle from a familiar voice in the background.

"So naive. You really thought I was your friend, didn't you?" Neal turned his head as the voice moved around him, trying to follow it as much as he could. It sounded like... no... It couldn't be. He shook his head as if trying to convince himself of something and heard more chuckles.

"In denial, Caffrey? Who do think would be smart enough to catch you like this? Doesn't this make us 3 to 0 now?" Neal felt an anger rush over him as he remembered the scene in the parking garage. He mumbled something through his gag that sounded like a curse, pulling at his bonds. Something hit him hard from the back and he realized it was another shock from a taser. He gave out a muffled groan and slumped against his bonds a moment before turning his head towards the figure's laughing voice.

"Still thinking it can't be true? You truly are an _innocent_. It's a shame because now that you know what's going on, you're going to go on the run. Disappear. Never be found..." Neal felt a chill go up his spine as the voice continued, his mind trying to deny the situation but the voice. Who else could it be?

He felt a few warm tears fall from his eyes beneath his blindfold despite his best efforts to control his emotions. Someone grabbed his chin in a strong grasp and he felt the gag and rags pulled from his mouth.

"Awww... is the infamous Neal Caffrey crying? Hurt that your so-called friend has betrayed you?" There was so much venom in that voice but he had to say something.

"Damn you! I trusted you... Kate did too. Why!? Why her?!" He spat but heard laughter as the man obvious didn't get hit. He felt another jolt of electricity through him from the front this time and his breath caught in his throat. He panted trying to catch it as his body shuddered from the trauma.

"You would have been with her but _He_ had other plans for you. But now that we know Fowler has the music box, well... you really aren't necessary anymore." Neal was about to reply to the figure when he felt yet another shock hit him this time from the base of his neck. His arms were aching as the weight of his body pulled on them. The blood rang in his ears and head in loud staccato beats. He couldn't breathe, feeling like he was hyperventilating, a wheezing sound coming from his slack jaw.

"Don't worry; your death will be swift. You'll go down as the thief that got away since they'll never find your body." The figure laughed and Neal just hung there from his chafed wrists longing to punch the man out but too weak to even stay conscious. He felt a hand take his chin securely and move his head back so his neck was bared. Then he felt a pinch as something pierced the skin and coldness oozed from the site throughout his body. He shuddered trying to fight against whatever it was but it took control of him and soon the world seemed to spin around him drunkenly. He felt the blindfold pulled away and saw a blurry face.

"Good-bye, Neal..." The young man's heart broke as he realize what he had hoped was a lie was true. The face was blurry but he could see Peter Burke standing there before him just before everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**(Chapter 4)**  
**  
(Tuesday: 5:45 PM)**

Peter left the office at 5 calling El to let her know he was going to be running late. She asked about Neal and he told her what he had found out. She wished him luck on his search. The agent walked around the corner into the parking garage that was on the way to the deli. He stopped and made sure he had his cell phone handy, his gun strap loose if he needed it and anything else he might need. With a little prayer for luck he walked into the garage and made his way into the dimly lit structure. He noticed something shiny sparkling off to his left and made his way towards it and a more secluded area of the garage. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and picked the item up. It was a small bit of plastic, dark red that he recognized as part of a cell phone. Not too far from the item he saw something else interesting and walked over to the spot. A small rust colored spot stained the cement. He rubbed a little onto a corner of the same handkerchief and pushed the item into his pocket.

This was wrong. Why would Neal have come in here other than well the person that entered had looked alot like Peter from the back. There were no front views so no idea who they were or what they really looked like. The agent rubbed at his chin and kept going forward towards a small wall and the area behind it. He had a feeling Neal had been here. Peter peeked around the wall cautiously and saw it was empty. He started back towards the exit when he saw something else of interest. He reached up along the wall and pulled a short dark hair from a groove in the concrete. He pushed it into his pocket with the handkerchief and headed outside. Peter was sure he had everything he needed to make a case but how he was going to tell Hughes... well that was another story.

**(Tuesday: 7 PM)**

When Peter arrived home, El was waiting for him in the living room. She looked worried and concerned but she hugged him and gave him a kiss before she broached the topic on her mind: Neal.

"Honey, did you find any clue to where Neal might have gone?" She helped him take off his coat but he stopped her after a moment, making his way to the kitchen though the swinging door. El followed him curiously watching her husband dig around in the pantry anxiously.

"El, where do we keep the ziploc bags?" She blinked at him and pointed at a specific drawer.

"Over there, Peter. Uhm... honey, what do you need..." She stopped as she saw him draw several things out of his pocket and toss them into a single bag. He sealed the top, pulled out a pen and labeled it.

"There! I'll have Jones run these over to forensics tomorrow." He turned to see El looking at him with a strange little smile.

"So you found some clues?" She walked over and hugged him, helping him shrug out of his coat and back into the living room. She sat him on the sofa, walked the coat over and hung it on the rack before sitting beside him and putting her arms around him. Peter leaned into her gently, hugging her close, his chin on her head.

"Someone is deliberately trying to trap Neal. I just..." He looked tired and frustrated more so than Peter had in a while. It was as if everything was falling apart but it couldn't. Not now.

"Honey, he's going to be ok. You'll find him. You always do. So, who is this person that's trying to trap him?" She had loosened his tie and removed it and was now gently caressing his hair, temples and neck. He looked like he was relaxing some as he started to tell her everything.

"They looked EXACTLY like me. I didn't see a face so no clue if they could be my twin but if I were Neal, I'd have followed them too. He must have thought I left the deli early. Someone knew where I was and that he was going to meet me. How else could they have been in that spot at that time? Too many coincidences!" He lay back despite everything and allowed his wife to calm him down. He was tired but mainly he was worried.

He felt El's hands touch his face and turn it towards her gently, her blue eyes sparkling at him.

"So, what was that stuff in the bag? Evidence from the garage? What did Hughes say?" She curled up in his arms and he let her, holding her hand in his.

"He doesn't know yet. I was afraid to tell him but tomorrow... well that's another story. And without the anklet, everyone's going to assume he ran but I have the proof. I saw the film on the camera as well as the items I picked up at the scene. I'm almost certain all of it... will prove Caffrey was there and he's innocent of running." Peter gently hugged his wife and then stood up.

"I need to walk. Where's Satchmo?"

**(Tuesday: 7:45 PM)**

Peter, El and Satchmo went for a walk around the block about three times before El complained of the cold and the dog looked about ready to make a run for it. El took the leash from her husband and told her she'd meet him back at the house as they came up to it again. He nodded deep in thought and kept walking.

Someone posing as him had left between the time Neal called and he had answered. Someone was monitoring their calls again. He remembered the time Neal found those phone files and posted them to him during the jewel heist. Fowler had found a way to lose time on the con's anklet aswell as monitor their cells. This was a new phone too since that time but that didn't mean they hadn't found a way to bug it. Peter cursed silently, taking a detour at the next street and making his way towards a small mini-mart.

"Yes sir, how may I help you?" Peter looked at the young woman, her blond hair pulled back in a pony tail with blue highlights and then back over her head at some items behind the counter.

"How much is that?" He pointed at a small _pay-as-you-go_ phone on the counter and she turned and pulled it off the shelf.

"Ten bucks sir. The cards for it are also ten for thirty minutes of time." He nodded and pulled out his wallet and a fifty.

"Let me take that and three cards."


	5. Chapter 5

**(Chapter 5)**

**(Tuesday: 8 PM)**

Neal woke up feeling like someone had dropped him about two stories off a building and then smacked him around a bit more after that. His body ached and every nerve felt sensitive to the touch, his head throbbing with a rhythm all its own. He wanted to throw up but he was gagged again, rags stuffed heavily in his mouth and tape pulled over his lips. His arms were handcuffed behind him as were his ankles. He sensed movement which didn't help his nausea any and he realized after a moment he was in the back of a van. The inside was completely black, all the windows tinted so he couldn't look out and the floor carpeted in something that could just be called 70's shag.

He made an effort to sit up and the world swam around him, his stomach threatening to surrender the little he had eaten if he didn't lie down again. He leaned back against the wall of the vehicle and soon his vertigo stopped as did his nausea. Neal gulped hard tasting bile but avoided thinking about it as he found enough feeling in his fingers to reach inside a cuff on his sleeve and pull out a tiny pin. Carefully he managed to pick at his bonds and heard a quiet "click." He did the same with the other one and then with his ankles, rubbing at his poor bruised wrists. He still felt pretty awful but he knew he had to get out of here before they had a chance to get rid of him.

Neal looked at the door and found no handles on the inside. This complicated things. He was basically at the mercy of whomever it was Peter had hired to take him out. He doubted the agent would have done this himself. He cursed quietly wondering what the man with the ring had on his friend that he would do this but it didn't make sense. Peter and the ring man had looked "_buddy buddy_" in the garage and there was no guilt or anything in his friend's voice when he was in the _other_ place. He felt something wet in his eyes and wiped at them. The young man refused to cry. He would "_cowboy up_" as Peter always said and just do what he had to do. He wasn't going to let betrayal stop him from living. He didn't have the anklet on anymore so all he had to do was escape and they could say he was dead all they wanted but he would have to get rid of the one person who knew. He gulped at the thought of killing anyone but he had to survive for Kate's sake. Revenge would be his now that he knew who to blame and then he would go after the _ring man_ last. He still had it in for Fowler and would find out all he could.

He felt the vehicle stop suddenly and the faint sound of movement coming around to the doors. He rolled over on his side and put the cuffs on loosely, feigning unconsciousness. He heard the door slide open and saw a couple of men not too much bigger than himself in nice suits standing there. One of the men stood to the side smoking, his manner distracted. That's all Neal needed. He kicked at the first man and reached for the gun he saw on the man's waist and held it to his head as the other man gawked, his cigarette falling to the ground.

"Don't make me shoot your friend here. Hand me your piece and the keys." The man nodded surprised more than anything and Neal threw the extra gun over the side into a ditch. It was only a brief view but he figured that's where they had planned to throw him. It was more a gorge than a ditch but it was still somewhere to lose a body. He took the handcuffs he had and threw a pair at the second guy.

"Put one on your wrist and one on your buddy's. No funny business!" Neal had never felt the need to be this way before but he could see how easy it was to go the violent route. He wanted to scream, to cry and fall down and beg forgiveness even to these two goons for his actions but he was afraid for his life and knew this was the only way he would live to take his revenge. The goon did as was asked and then Neal took the other pair and put their ankles together around the guard rail. Once he was sure they were secured, he closed the van and hopped into the driver's seat and took off.

**(Tuesday: 9 PM)**

He wasn't sure how long he drove before he was back along the outskirts of the city. He stopped at a small out of the way cafe along the route, went back into the rear of the establishment and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind him when he knew nobody was inside. He looked in the mirror and saw his face. He had dark circles under his eyes, several bruises and some minor cuts and scrapes. He pretty much looked like hell warmed over at this point and started to clean himself up as much as he possibly could. Neal looked at himself a few minutes later and he looked a bit better, despite all the obvious marks, and he left the lavatory.

Neal slid into a booth and a waitress walked over a few minutes later, eying him up and down a moment before finally asking him what he wanted. His voice was quiet despite everything and he ordered a coffee and chicken sandwich. She nodded and still eying him a bit left. He didn't blame her for her looks. Seeing himself for the first time since everything happened had been shocking. He looked pretty bad and he felt even worse.

"Death is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatsoever to do with it." Neal turned at the sound of someone speaking and blinked.

"Mozzie? You got my message." He motioned for the mousy little man to sit with him but noticed the looks he got and felt a little flush come to his cheeks.

"Neal, you look... sorry. I'm just glad you're ok. The suit's been looking for you everywhere and June has been worried sick." Neal looked at Mozzie curiously.

"Peter's been looking for me? What have you heard?" Mozzie looked at the young man and paused as the waitress showed up with Neal's food. She looked at the mousy man staring at her curiously before she spoke.

"Is that all or was there something else I can bring you?" Her stare moved to Mozzie and he looked at Neal who nodded tiredly.

"I'll have a coffee, two creams, one sugar. That's all." She nodded and walked away as Mozzie tried not to turn and watch her leave, talking through the side of his mouth to Neal.

"Is she gone now?" Neal would have laughed at his friend's antics at any other time but he was so exhausted from the past 24 hours he just wanted to curl up somewhere and sleep it off. He took a sip of the coffee straight and leaned back in the booth, eyes closed. He heard a small intake of breath from his friend and opened them again.

"Mozzie, I can trust you, right?" He sat up a bit and stared at the other man. Neal saw Mozzie flush a bit looking somewhat worried.

"Yeah, Neal. Not a problem but you don't have to look so "menacing" about it." Neal blinked at his friend but then leaned back against the booth again and closed his eyes. He felt so tired, his body giving in to the need to rest. He felt a hand touch his arm and nudge him.

"Neal, you can't sleep here! Let's go. I'll take you somewhere safe, ok?" Neal nodded without opening his eyes, reaching into his pocket but feeling a hand touch his.

"I'll pay for it. Just go out and wait for me, ok?" Neal opened his eyes and without a word stood up and walked out of the cafe. He was vaguely aware of Mozzie putting money on the table as he exited the building, sat out on the small stoop and leaned against the wall. After a few minutes he heard the door open again and someone standing beside him. He looked up, saw his friend and stood up.

"Thanks." Neal muttered quietly, let Mozzie lead him to the van, take the keys from him and help him into the passenger seat. Mozzie jumped into the driver's seat and they were off. He pushed something into Neal's hand as they made their way down the road.

"I got the coffee to go. Here's yours." Neal nodded thankfully and took a few sips of the hot brew before he pushed it into the cup holder and slumped back against the seat and slept.

**(Tuesday: 11 PM)**

Neal woke up with a start remembering his one-sided conversation with Peter. He may have been blindfolded but he had seen every smirk on the man's face and wanted to put a fist right in the middle of it. He noticed Mozzie staring at him but trying to act like he wasn't as he drove in the dark.

"Bad dream although you look a bit too happy for that." His nasally voice was dripping with sarcasm but he looked mousier than ever as if he were almost afraid of something. Neal sat up and shook his head.

"Depends on your point of view I guess. How long did I sleep?" Neal looked out the window and noticed more trees than he was used to in the city and realized they were still out in the rural outskirts of the city. Suburbs dotted the sides and a few small farms. It was almost idyllic in a fashion but he no longer had grand schemes of living in the suburbs and settling down. Not since... He gave a little curse and peered at his reflection in the window. It made him take pause as he saw an angry young man he was not familiar with. They bore his features but looked ready to rip someone's heart out. Now he understood Mozzie's hesitation to speak with him.

"Mozzie, I don't know if I told you this but, Thank you." He tried to sound as sincere as he could, turning and hoping his expression was less scary. The mousy man twitched his nose a bit and nodded, watching the road.

"Not a problem. Just glad you're feeling more yourself?" His voice quirked a little and Neal smiled slightly.

"Yeah, maybe. Not sure yet. So uhm, where are we headed again?" The young man stretched and yawned in the seat and looked around again seeing a turn off and Mozzie putting on the van's turn signal.

"My vacation home." Neal blinked and looked at his friend, gawking.

"You actually own a home? I thought... Wow... uhm when did this happen?" He saw Mozzie keep his eyes on the road but the van started to slow as they reached a lit sign that read: "My Other Home Storage." Neal tried to hold back a laugh feeling like he could almost forget a few of the last hours of his life.

"Don't laugh till you see it. It's actually quite roomy compared to the other unit and I have a guest room. You'll be quite comfortable." Neal nodded as the little man pulled out a small keycard and swiped it at the gate.

"Thanks again, Mozzie. I'm glad you came."


	6. Chapter 6

**(Chapter 6)**

**(Wednesday, 9:30 AM)**

Peter sat at his desk waiting for forensics to come back with the results of his evidence, his fingers drumming distractedly on his desktop. He looked up as a figure passed his window and saw Hughes waving at him. The man did not look happy but then he rarely smiled. Peter stood up and walked outside and followed his boss into the next office.

"Burke, you had something to tell me about Caffrey?" His voice was its usual scary self but Peter wasn't about to back down. Neal needed his help and someone was trying to frame Peter in all of this with circumstantial evidence. He took a deep breath and started to tell him about what happened and what he had discovered. He left out the anklet part till Hughes asked about it.

"Well, sir... about the anklet..." Hughes' face looked a bit redder than normal.

"He's not wearing it? Why the heck not, Burke?!" Peter flushed a bit himself rubbing at the back of his neck nervously although it really did feel tight and sore.

"After all he'd been through, I just wanted to... He deserved a bit of a break, sir. Honestly, he's done so much for us and this _Mentor_ incident. I'll take any blame there is sir." He saw Hughes eye him a bit but hold up a hand and smile in a friendly way.

"Peter, we've worked together a long time. You know I trust your judgment and although I was hesitant about Caffrey, you've been right all along. If you think something else is going on here after all we've discovered it Fowler's past involvement, I'll help you out. Just keep me in the mix and I'll watch your back, understood?" Peter nodded and they shook hands.

"Thank you, sir. You don't know what this means." Hughes stood as did Peter and pointed as Jones showed up outside looking anxious.

"I think that's the work up from forensics. Let me know what they found." Peter nodded and left the office walking down the short landing to his own door and Jones. The young agent looked a bit nervous, his eyes glancing over at Hughes' off and on.

"Everything ok, sir?" Peter spoke through the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, come inside the office and I'll fill you in while I read this." Jones smirked and nodded curtly back to keep the ruse up.

**(A few minutes later...)**

"Really, he said that?" Jones looked surprised and smiled.

"Yeah, but this is just between you and me." Peter looked around and then back at the young man.

"I would get one of those disposable phones if you could. I just got one because I suspect mine is being tapped. I can't think how else they'd have known about the deli and Neal's meeting with me. I didn't tell anyone else. Who was in the office when you told him where I was?" Peter thumbed through the report as he spoke.

"Hmmm... Ruiz and maybe a few of the others we usually have on call but nobody out of the ordinary that would have stuck out as being a spy or anything." Jones shrugged, Peter nodding at him as he finished looking through the report.

"Looks like I was right. This hair and blood was from Neal and the plastic... it was just big enough they got a partial print and it matches Neal's phone case. Dammit! Someone is going through a lot of trouble to make it look like I have it in for Neal." Jones nodded as Peter went into the PC then motioned the young agent to come around and look at the screen.

"See right here... there's Neal going in and... wait a sec. That's not right." Peter played the camera footage back again from the original site and cursed silently. Jones blinked.

"The film I saw before showed someone that looked liked me entering the garage. Now they're gone and it's only Neal entering." Peter looked both confused and upset.

"This means... if they don't want to show I was there then... why have someone look like me?" Peter chewed on his lip as he mulled the possibilities over in his head.

"Tampered with? You didn't make a copy?" Peter shook his head looking thoughtful and curious.

"No, I didn't even think at the time it was anything other than weird and now... well now I know. They didn't want the proof but they didn't expect me to get these items. I had better lock them away." Jones nodded at him.

**(Wednesday: 12:15 PM)**

Peter kept the evidence file from forensics close at hand all day. It never left his side even when he went to lunch; he stuffed it inside his jacket pocket and took it with him to the deli. Along the way he walked slowly past the garage but didn't enter, looking at the interior briefly as he passed. He arrived at the deli, waited in line and sat in the back since it was full. He had barely taken two bites of his sandwich when Peter heard a familiar voice whisper behind him.

"It's good to see you again, Peter." There was a certain menacing tone to the voice that had never been there before. Peter wanted to turn around but he felt something stuck against his back which made him stiffen and remain in the same position. He felt warm breath on his ear and the figure spoke again.

"We're going to take that sandwich to go. Don't make any sudden moves." Peter nodded at the figure without turning and put his hands back down on the table slowly, putting the sandwich in the bag again and wrapping it up. He stood as the figure behind him pulled on his arm to do so and they rose together looking around to see if anyone noticed but nobody seemed to be aware of the situation.

"Now, we're going to walk out of here like nothing's going on. Understand?" Peter nodded again, face slightly pale but he put on a false smile and nodded to the deli owner on the way out as they both exited the building. They walked around the corner of the building at the figure's request, the agent never turning around, and made their way to the parking garage.

"Go inside. You know where." Peter felt a push against his back of the gun and went inside the structure and back to where he had found the evidence and past to the secluded section. Once they were behind the wall, the figure pushed him to the floor and he heard the gun cocked loudly. Now he could see for sure who it was that had kidnapped him. It was Neal Caffrey.

Caffrey looked terrible considering the young man was normally quite the good looking figure. His eyes were bloodshot with bags and dark circles and there were several scratches and bruises around his face and neck. Peter could just make out bruises and chafing around the his friend's wrists where they stuck out from his jacket. He looked pretty beat up and Peter felt a pang of guilt seeing his friend in such a bad way. Neal must have noticed because he reached down and pushed the gun against the agent's temple and growled at him angrily.

"Don't act like you care!" Peter felt the ringing in his ears as the butt of the gun caught him across the forehead. He fell back to the cement and lay there panting, trying to catch his breath, his head throbbing in pain. He felt himself flipped over and his handcuffs removed from his belt. Peter felt his arms pulled behind him and his wrists handcuffed tightly. He was flipped over again and he could just focus on the young man as he crouched over him menacingly.

"I trusted you, Peter and you..." Neal's voice shook with emotion his hand moving to hit the man again with the gun. Peter waited for it but it never happened and he saw the young man drop his arm and lick at his lips nervously.

"Why did you have to do this? I thought..." Peter felt tears in his eyes his mouth open but nothing coming out. Neal stared at the agent with a look he had never seen before. A scary look that reminded him of Keller and the extremes he would go to for a scam. Something had happened to change Neal since they'd talked just a day or so before and he seemed to think Peter had done something to him.

"Neal, please... Who did this? Tell m..." He felt a fist hit him hard across the chin and stun him, a loud intake of breath as the con rubbed at his fist in pain.

"Shut up... Just..." He cocked the gun again and pulled out a handkerchief and stuffed it into Peter's mouth.

"Don't talk. I don't know what I'm capable of at the moment, Peter. Things have changed." The agent nodded weakly from where he lay against the cool cement of the garage. His head throbbed in time with his heart and he could barely think straight. He watched the young man get up and pace a bit as if trying to figure out what to do. This was not the Neal Caffrey he was familiar with, not in the least. For one thing he noticed the young man's eyes were dilated but that could be from the head injury. He noticed a bandage on the young man's forehead and his manner was consistent with someone under stress but the latter wouldn't cause dilated eyes where a head injury might.

"Mozzie? Voice mail... dammit!" He saw that Neal had taken out a cell at some point. Peter felt consciousness leaving him but someone shook him awake.

"Oh no... you're going to be awake for what I have planned. The least I can do to repay what you've done to me." Neal pulled the agent up to his feet and leaned him against the wall and held him there firmly.

"Peter..." He watched the young man talking in slow-mo, no sound escaping his lips as Peter felt himself slipping away as his body slumped in the con's grasp and everything faded to darkness.

**(about an hour later...)**

Peter woke up with a splitting headache. He wanted to sit up but his arms were pulled tightly behind him with something that jingled. His cuffs... that's right. He had been at the deli and then Neal showed up. Peter gave a muffled groan, the handkerchief still stuffed in his mouth. He tried spit it out but he couldn't get the strength to do it much less open his eyes. Nausea threatened to overcome him but he fought it back as he gave another muffled groan, continuing to lay half-conscious on something that he could only describe as feeling like shag carpeting.

It took a while but he was finally able to open his eyes and see a blurry vision of a black vehicle interior. Even the windows were painted dark to hide the outside as he looked around to see where he was. He lay on his side, head throbbing with a beat of its own and his nausea threatening to get the better of him. Finally he managed to spit out the rag and he threw up. After a few minutes he stopped and rolled as far as he could from the mess, the smell filling the space and making him feel worse.

He heard something like movement outside the vehicle and a dim light nearly blinded him as someone opened up the side door. Neal stood there, a silhouette in the sunlight. Peter could hear the young man make a sound of disgust as he reached in and pulled the agent out of the vehicle and out onto the gravel of the road.

"I see you're awake." His voice was cold and emotionless but it shook with something... fear. Peter didn't say much, his throat still burning with the taste of bile. He was thirsty but he didn't think this Neal would care so he remained quiet. Maybe that was the wrong thing because Neal pushed the gun against the agent's temple.

"Cat got your tongue, Peter?" Neal's pupils still looked too large which worried Peter but at the moment he couldn't think straight and shook his head.

"Sor... ry." He tried to say more but his mouth was dry and his throat still burned. Peter slumped back a bit feeling a little worse for wear. He was vaguely aware that Neal was looking at him curiously, gun pushed back into his pocket as he felt around Peter's jacket.

"Let's see what goodies "the suit" has today." Neal was starting to sound a bit paranoid like Mozzie but at this point Peter could care less, his whole body wanting to shut down. He felt the young man grasp a particularly "large" item from his jacket and Peter was only vaguely aware of what was going on. He saw the large manilla folder unfolded and opened up by Neal as he slumped against the side of the vehicle.

"A forensics report? Who are you investigating now, Agent Burke?" Neal's voice was far from friendly as he opened up the folder and began to thumb through it. Peter closed his eyes, the dim light of the street light hurting them, and listened to the young man silently read the report. He could hear the occasional sound of papers rustled and then a loud intake of breath. Something shook him suddenly and he opened his eyes reluctantly.

"What is this? Why would you be looking for this kind of info if you were there? Tell me, Peter!" He felt himself shaken but he couldn't stay awake any longer, his head lolling to one side as his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Peter... Peter... tell me, what is this?" The sentence echoed to silence and Peter passed out again.


	7. Chapter 7

**(Chapter 7)**

**(Tuesday: A few minutes before Midnight)**

Neal was surprised when he entered the storage unit. It was bigger than Mozzie's unit in the city but this one looked more like a studio apartment than the other one did with the boxes and lab area. Perhaps his friend had something here with his little "_vacation_" home.

"Neal, mi casa es su casa. Make yourself at home. I'll get us some wine or did you want something else?" Mozzie sounded pretty comfortable despite everything and it made Neal feel a bit guilty for glaring at his friend. The young man walked into a small sitting area / living room with a comfy looking evergreen couch, an armchair with similar material and a matching sofa chair recliner around a small orangey brown coffee table with a few books on it. Neal sat down on the sofa and leaned back wearily. Mozzie returned with a chilled glass of red wine and a small plate of grapes.

"Thanks." Neal's voice was quiet, his eyes roving around the open space curiously, taking it all in. He sipped at the wine without much thought, noting the small bedroom area in the corner and another set off with a small partition which was sparser and must be the "_guest_" room. He felt a bit of a warmth pass over him to think he had a friend like Mozzie and smiled slightly. His eyes finally returned to the mousey man who was studying him curiously.

"Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings - always darker, emptier and simpler." Mozz' voice was quiet but he obviously was curious to what his friend was thinking. Neal smiled as much as he could under the circumstances.

"I'm just wondering why... after everything that's happened, Peter betrayed me. I..." He stopped, his face turning dark again. He didn't want to _think_ this way! Neal wasn't that kind of a person who thought about hurting anyone but at the moment with all that had occurred he was thinking how good it would feel to punch Peter out if not strangle the man. Neal thought about El and wondered if she knew about this.

"He's a suit. I'm as shocked as you are but still... are you sure it's him? I mean he's been doing everything he can to find you but then... OMG what if it's all one big conspiracy. You think Mrs. Suit is in on it?" Neal stared at his friend mulling over everything. He shuddered to think about it and put the wine glass on the table.

"Mozz, I'm feeling a bit sleepy." He stood up with a bit of a waver, the wine going to his head with all the stuff he'd been through and having not eaten in a while. He saw Mozzie nod and point at the far corner where the sparse bedroom was behind the partition.

"Do you need a wakeup call or anything? There's a clock radio on the nightstand if you need it." Neal shook his head and muttered a quiet "_thanks_" before making his way to the room and bed. He flopped down on top of it without removing the covers. He flipped off his shoes and in a moment had passed into a light sleep.

**(Early Wednesday Morning)**

**"**_**Damn you! I trusted you... Kate did too. Why!? Why her?!**_**" He spat but heard laughter as the man obviously didn't get hit. He felt another jolt of electricity through him from the front this time and his breath caught in his throat. He panted trying to catch it as his body shuddered from the trauma.**

**"**_**You would have been with her but He had other plans for you. Now that we know Fowler has the music box, well... you really aren't necessary anymore.**_**" Neal was about to reply to the figure when he felt yet another shock hit him this time from the base of his neck. His arms were aching as the weight of his body pulled on them. The blood rang in his ears and head in loud staccato beats. He couldn't breathe, feeling like he was hyperventilating, a wheezing sound coming from his slack jaw.**

Neal woke up with a start from the memory. His dream had been vivid and it felt as if he had relived the torture all over again. He wheezed softly, trying to catch his breath as his heart pounded and his pulse raced. He rolled off the bed to his feet and glanced around the studio / storage unit before he found what he needed.

It was surprising that his friend had managed to create a little "bathroom" area that looked like a real bathroom. Neal washed his face in the sink with a splash of cold water and then combed his hair back with his fingers. He looked into the medicine cabinet mirror and sighed. His face looked tired, ragged and he looked nothing like the old Neal Caffrey. In fact if he had seen his reflection and not known it was his own, he'd have been afraid of the person he was looking at. This person looked angry, desperate and dangerous. The boyishness he was once so proud of and admired for had disappeared and behind was left a man with nothing but anger.

Neal dried his face off and went back to the "guest" room and pulled the covers aside. He slipped out of his pants and jacket and down to his tee and boxers, getting back into bed, covers tucked tightly around him. He curled up on his side and stared at the clock radio. It read: 3:15 am. He sighed again and pulled the device closer, fumbling with the volume control and then turning it on so only he could hear it. He flipped through the channels on the dial till he came across a song and stopped:

******"_... Memories that come at night  
Take me to another time  
Back to a happier day  
When I called you mine..."_

Neal felt his eyes grow wet and warm as he listened to the song thinking of Kate and everything that had happened. How could he not think about it. It had been barely a month and everything he had thought was real had been a farce. He had been content to be with Peter and El but now... Neal tried not to think about it but his mind focused on the wrongness of the situation. The unfairness of it all and he wanted to strike out! He continued to listen to the radio station that played nothing but oldies apparently and formed a plan in his mind as he grew sleepy once again and finally fell into a fitful sleep.

"_It's 9 am on a Wednesday morning and we're playing nothing but the best oldies. The channel just for adult tastes: WOZB, 89 FM..._"

Neal woke up to hear the radio still playing realizing he must have left it on all night. He hoped he hadn't bothered Mozzie but when he went to find his friend, the little guy was snoring and completely out of it. He smiled at the scene and quietly padded back to the "guest" room and pulled his clothes on. He found a notepad and pen and left a note for Mozzie he left on the bed after he made it up. In nothing but his socked feet, Neal made his way to the exit and left the storage unit, slipping his shoes on once he was outside.

The sun shone brightly despite the few clouds that tried to block it. He knew how the sun felt at that moment: Being pushed aside and blocked but still fighting on. He was going to fight for his right to live his own life even if his dream had been killed. Nobody would stop him, not even Peter Burke. Neal sighed though less disheartened than before and made his way to the van. Mozzie had left the keys in it. Neal started it up and took off, a plan forming in his mind as he drove along the rural roads leading back to NYC. He opened up the glove box and looked inside. The item he had confiscated from the "goons" that were supposed to kill him was still there and it was loaded. Normally guns bothered him but today, he had no reservations about using it. This Neal Caffrey was not afraid to do what had to be done.

**(Wednesday: 11:45 AM)**

It was like watching the sunset or rise. Maybe a better comparison would be the tide coming in and out at the beach. Neal watched the FBI building and right on schedule a familiar figure left around 11:45 for lunch. He knew Peter Burke's schedule just as well as the man knew Neal's shoe size. They were one of the same mold and both very observant but today Peter seemed to be distracted as he passed around the building and headed towards the deli down the block. Neal was in hot pursuit and blended in quite well he thought with the morning / afternoon crowd of professionals walking the street to lunch. The young man was sure of Peter's destination, heading a few yards in front of him without being seen as he saw the agent glance briefly at the parking garage where everything had begun.

"Let me have a ham and cheese on rye. Yes. Mustard and Relish. Thanks." Neal watched his so called "friend" ordering food as he sat in a back booth reading the paper. Peter paid for the order and walked back to the one table that was still available and just forward and off to the side from Neal's. He couldn't have planned this better if he had tried and he felt around in his jacket pocket for the item he had and smiled. A part of him felt like this was wrong but at the moment the new Neal Caffrey told the old one to shut the heck up and just go with the plan. He had a strange feeling of duality as he thought about what he was about to do but pushed it aside when he looked at Peter. The man deserved no more mercy than he had given himself or Kate.  
_  
_"It's good to see you again, Peter." There was a certain menacing tone to his voice that had never been there before. He could see that Peter wanted to turn around but Neal pushed the gun he had hidden against the agent's back which made him stiffen and remain in the same position. He whispered in the man's ear softly.

"We're going to take that sandwich to go. Don't make any sudden moves." Neal watched Peter nod at him without turning and put his hands back down on the table slowly, putting the sandwich in the bag again and wrapping it up. He stood slowly, pulling gently on Peter's arm to do the same and they rose together looking around to see if anyone noticed but nobody seemed to be aware of the situation.

"Now, we're going to walk out of here like nothing's going on. Understand?" Neal watched his "_friend_" nod again, face slightly pale but he put on a false smile and nodded to the deli owner on the way out as they both exited the building. They walked around the corner of the building, the agent never turning around, and made their way to the parking garage.

"Go inside. You know where." Neal pushed against the agent's back with the gun and they entered the structure back to where he had seen Peter and the _ring man_ speaking. Once they were behind the wall, Neal pushed him to the floor and cocked the gun loudly. Now they were facing one another finally after the ordeal of the previous day.

Neal noticed Peter's expression turn to worry and surprise at seeing the young man. The expression angered and hurt the con as he thought of Peter's betrayal. In a moment of rage he reached down and pushed the gun against the agent's temple and growled at him.

"Don't act like you care!" Neal swatted the butt of the gun across the agent's forehead. Peter fell back to the cement and lay there panting, trying to catch his breath, his head throbbing in pain. Neal flipped the man over and removed the handcuffs from his belt. The con pulled the agent's arms behind him and cuffed his wrists tightly. He flipped him over again as he crouched over him menacingly.

"I trusted you, Peter and you..." Neal's voice shook with emotion his hand moving to hit the man again with the gun. He saw Peter tense in anticipation of the blow but the young man dropped his arm and licked at his lips nervously.

"Why did you have to do this? I thought..." He saw tears in the agent's eyes, his mouth open but nothing coming out. Neal stared at the agent with a scary look that was reflected back to him by the fear in Peter's eyes. The agent looked truly scared of the con.

"Neal, please... Who did this? Tell m..." Neal punched him hard across the chin and stunned him, gasping in mild pain as he rubbed at his fist. He was angry and words no matter how good they sounded weren't going to help. He had to shut the man up before he shot him here and now.

"Shut up... Just..." He cocked the gun again and pulled out a handkerchief and stuffed it into Peter's mouth.

"Don't talk. I don't know what I'm capable of at the moment, Peter. Things have changed." The agent nodded weakly from where he lay against the cement of the garage. He looked a bit off, eyes wandering glassily. Neal stood up and paced a bit as if trying to figure out what to do. He had already done this. He had assaulted the agent which was a crime in itself but besides that, he had committed violence on someone. Something he always promised he would never do. A part of him continued to fight with him that this was wrong but he slapped it aside and pulled out his cell phone pushing the speed dial.

"Mozzie? Voice mail... dammit!" Neal noticed Peter starting to pass out and shook him awake.

"Oh no... You're going to be awake for what I have planned. The least I can do to repay what you've done to me." Neal pulled the agent up to his feet and leaned him against the wall and held him there firmly. This new Neal was going all the way with this plan if it killed him. He shook the agent again but he could see the man's eyes rolling back to white.

"Peter..." He watched as Peter slumped in his grasp and was soon unconscious.

**(Wednesday: Early Afternoon)**

Neal drove for a while into the outskirts of NYC and out towards the country. At first he thought to take the man back to Mozzie's but that wouldn't work out. If... No... Because he knew Peter was guilty, he had to take care of this on his own. He felt a kind of kinship to Keller finally despite everything he despised about the man. He had always told Neal he wasn't _man_ enough to do anything to get things done or to keep Kate. Maybe he had been right but now, finally he felt a kind of freedom in being controlled by his baser emotions. Yes it was scary but in some manner it was exhilarating.

It wasn't long before he reached the spot that the goons had taken him to not a day earlier. Peter's men. They weren't there anymore, obviously having been freed but he parked the van there and sat in the front seat a while before finally deciding upon his course of action. Once he had come to his final conclusion, Neal opened up the door and slid out of the vehicle. He moved around to the passenger side and opened up the side door. Neal stood there, smelling something foul and seeing that Peter had thrown up. He held his nose and made a sound of disgust as he reached in and roughly pulled the agent out of the vehicle and out onto the gravel of the road.

"I see you're awake." His voice was cold and emotionless but he still felt a tiny bit of doubt and maybe some fear. The old Neal Caffrey continued to whisper in the background as a little voice of reason but he pushed it back again, unwilling to listen. Peter didn't say much which annoyed the con because he always expected the man to tell him something chiding about his actions. When the agent didn't speak Neal pushed the gun against his temple.

"Cat got your tongue, Peter?" The man shook his head weakly, looking rather beat up and exhausted.

"Sor... ry." Peter's voice was quiet, raspy and he slumped back a bit looking a little worse for wear. Neal looked at him curiously, pushing the gun into his pocket as he felt around Peter's jacket.

"Let's see what goodies "_the suit_" has today." Neal thought he was beginning to sound a bit too much like Mozzie but at this point he could care less. All he wanted to do was find something on Peter and know what he felt was true so he could do what he wanted to: kill Peter Burke. He felt a "large" item; a paper folder inside the man's jacket and pulled it out. It was a large manila folder. He unfolded and opened up the _evidence case file_ and started to read, his eyes watching the agent slump weakly against the side of the van. Peter looked pretty bad but Neal didn't care.

"A forensics report. Who are you investigating now, Agent Burke?" Neal's voice was far from friendly as he opened up the folder and began to thumb through it. He noticed Peter close his eyes but was still awake, moving occasionally, a soft jingling of his cuffs behind him.

Neal's eyes widened as he flipped through the report. This couldn't be right. Peter was investigating _his_ disappearance. He had written up a whole page on having found hair, blood and part of his phone. This had to be a joke! I mean the man had been there and helped to clean up the scene, why bring out evidence for forensics to look at and examine? Something was wrong here or it was a ruse too clever for him to figure out. He shook the agent trying to wake him up. Peter's eyes fluttered open a moment and glanced blearily up at him, the brown color looking washed out.

"What is this? Why would you be looking for this kind of info if you were there? Tell me, Peter!" Neal shook the agent but the man's head lolled to one side as his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Peter... Peter... tell me, what is this?" This made no sense to him but he had to understand what _this_ was. It was too late to get an answer as Peter passed out again. Neal cursed and read the report again.

**(** Lyrics from the song "_Photographs & Memories_" by Jim Croce)**


	8. Chapter 8

**(Chapter 8)**

**(Wednesday: 3 PM)**

Peter woke up to the sound of voices. They weren't more than murmurs at first but soon he could pick up a word or phrase and understand what was going on.

"Why did you have to bring "_him_" here? This is my home _away_ from home. I didn't want _the suit_ to know about it!" Mozzie. He would know that nasally squeaky voice anywhere. It was followed but a deeper voice that sounded even more familiar to him but drew a bit of a frown to his lips.

"Didn't you read this? Something's not right here. Why would he investigate my disappearance if he caused it? I... it doesn't make sense! I just think... maybe... I don't know what I think anymore." Neal Caffrey spoke with true compassion almost sounding the way he used to but still with a bit more of an edge that he could sense made the other man nervous. He could almost imagine Mozzie's nose twitching.

"Fine, Neal. I did tell you he was looking for you before and you didn't want to believe me. Why believe this? He's a Fed. I want to like him as much as you do but you said so yourself, he betrayed you. This could all be an elaborate ruse to get you to trust him again." The man paused, his breath a bit wheezy as he coughed.

"Or he stole this from the case files to make sure nobody saw this. Still, it has his name as the investigating officer which means he's hiding it from himself so that is in itself an enigma. The suit could be schizo. One good cop. One bad cop." He heard a sigh from Neal and the sound of someone pacing.

"I don't know what to think. Take this before I change my mind." He heard the sound of a gun emptied of its clip and a bullet removed from the chamber. The wheezy sound got louder and he guessed Mozzie was being handed the gun.

"You had this all the time and didn't tell me?! Neal! You're not a gun person! I'm beginning to think I don't know you anymore. You're sure you're not Keller in disguise?" His voice sounded even more paranoid but the footsteps pacing grew more impatient.

"Just throw it... do something with it. I... I don't know what came over me. I took it from the goons that grabbed me when I jumped them. That's where the van came from but I dumped it in the woods. Cleaned it and dragged him with me." He had the image in his mind of Neal looking his way. The young man had carried him how far? Something had made him change his mind about what was going on, whatever this was. Peter wished he could wake up enough to actually say something, to tell Neal he was sorry... to assure him whatever this was wasn't his fault.

"Did you hear that?" Peter wondered what they had heard when he suddenly realized he had groaned audibly. It was quiet but he could just now hear it over the pulse pounding in his head. He heard footsteps coming closer and a hand touched his shoulder.

"He's waking up. What do I do Mozzie? I... I don't know what to do!" Neal sounded panicked but overall he sounded concerned. Someone brushed the hair from his face and Peter wished he could wake up and say something. He was mad about everything that happened but Neal hadn't done it because he was bad. Someone had set them up for this. Someone had intended for Neal to get rid of Peter and thereby frame the young man in more ways than one. What better way to get rid of two birds with one stone? He groaned again, feeling his body move slightly as he shifted his weight in the bed.

"Peter, lay still. Mozzie, bring me some aspirin and water. He's going to need it and a damp cloth." Neal's voice was firm. Peter wondered if things would ever be the same between them after this. He thought about the _doppelganger_ and wondered what they had to do with all of this. He wondered if Jones was looking for him. Peter thought about his wife and his eyes grew moist. El had to be worried about him if nobody else was. He missed her. He wanted to hug her and hold her close.

"Peter? Take this..." He felt someone hold his head up and push a glass his lips. He took a few sips of the water without opening his eyes and then felt something like pills pushed to his lips. He resisted a bit till Neal spoke.

"It's just aspirin. Take them." Peter nodded weakly and swallowed the pills and then some more water before he lay back against the soft pillows and felt the pounding in his head continue. Something cool and damp was placed on his forehead soon after and he felt a little better.

"Mozzie... what do I do?" Neal's voice sounded like a little boy's still regardless of his sudden transformation to tough guy. Someone grasped Peter's right hand in theirs and squeezed gently. He wanted to squeeze back but was too weak to do more than groan again, his body aching. At least his hands were free of the cuffs. Something buzzed nearby after a moment and he felt movement but Neal didn't leave him.

"Neal, there's a disposable cell phone in his jacket pocket. Unknown number calling. This is suspicious if nothing else is. Why would the Fed have a disposable phone?" Peter felt Neal's hand loosen from his and he heard the beep of the phone go off and the young man spoke.

"Hello?" He heard a loud intake of breath and quiet then Neal spoke.

"Jones? Uhm, Peter can't come to the phone right now. Sorry... long story. Yeah, I'm ok for now. I can relay the message if you want." Neal spoke in short sounds.

"Uh huh... ok... what?! Really?! So... Wow! Thanks, Yeah. No, I'll let him know. You too... Bye." Neal was quiet but his breathing sounded a bit more winded after the call as if he had gotten excited about something.

"Mozzie, that was Jones. He... well apparently they found a man who fit the description of Peter but it wasn't him. He says he was hired to play a role but he wouldn't say by whom. You know what this means?" Peter felt the young man's hand grasp his again. It squeezed gently, the young man speaking in low tones.

"Peter, I'm sorry. Please forgive me." There was a crack in the young man's voice as he spoke in a sad plaintive manner. Peter managed to open his eyes if only a little. He couldn't see too well but he could just make out the silhouette of Neal sitting beside him. The young man seemed to look down at him curiously.

"Peter? Peter?" He heard Neal calling to him and blinked up at him. He gave a weak nod of his head, moving his lips to speak.

"Neal." Peter coughed his voice still weak.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Jones just called." Peter nodded at the young man's words and felt a slight smile on his face.

"I heard. Guess... he found... the... doppel...ganger?" He coughed again, Neal sitting him up and hitting him gently on the back. The spell ended and he lay back again and groaned.

"Rest up. We're going back in the morning." Neal seemed somewhat hesitant and Peter thought he knew why. He grasped his friend's hand back and smiled again.

"We'll work...it out. Ok?" Neal nodded back and Peter felt himself start to relax a bit more as he sunk back into the bed and his body passed into a light sleep. He was only vaguely aware of Neal speaking softly to Mozzie before he lost consciousness.


	9. Chapter 9

**(Chapter 9)**

**(Wednesday: 2 PM)**

Jones was concerned when Peter didn't show back up from lunch. He thought maybe his boss had been detained by other business but when a day passed and he hadn't heard from his boss, he became concerned. The agent left the offices and hit the elevator down button but it was taking a bit too long. After a moment he finally went around the large potted palm and took the stairs. When he hit the lobby area, he pushed the door open and saw a familiar figure walking over to the elevators. Jones was about to call out when the figure turned and he saw it wasn't who he thought it was. The agent blinked but quickly made his way across the floor to the elevators and caught the door before it shut.

"Hey, sorry. Gotta get back up and get something I forgot." The man nodded to Jones curtly without actually staring at him. Jones stood slightly behind the man and took a good look. It was uncanny! If he hadn't seen the man's face, he'd have thought it was Peter. He thought about what Burke had said about "doppelgangers" and it suddenly made so much sense to him.

"Excuse me. You look familiar to me. Your name isn't _Peter Burke_ is it?" He saw the man stiffen a bit but shake his head without turning. Jones smiled to himself.

"Sorry, you just look like a friend of mine. So what offices are you getting off at?" The man didn't reply, pushing another floor suddenly but Jones reached forward and pushed the "_stop_" button and the elevator shuddered and paused it's ascent.

"Just so you know, I carry a piece and I work for the FBI." He kept his voice low and menacing and saw the figure stiffen again and turn. The man looked a bit frightened, leaning back against the doors as Jones approached him in the small space.

"I just need some answers and you're going to give them to me. Ok?" The man nodded stiffly and Jones hit the _start_ button and the elevator shuddered back to life. The man who looked like Peter (if only from the back) frowned some but he kept his back to the door watching Jones with a somewhat resigned look on his face. He nearly fell out into the FBI lobby when the door finally opened up and Jones made a motion for him to move forward, piece showing beneath his half opened jacket. The man nodded and entered the offices through the glass door and followed Jones to Hughes offices.

**(Wednesday: 3:30 PM)**

"This is preposterous! Jones, get some agents on this right now. You're in charge and put this person in holding!" Hughes was madder than ever but this time it was for a good reason. He had heard Jones' tale and in relation to everything Peter had added before that, it all made sense.

Jones cuffed the man and lead him from Hughes' office and down to some other agents that took him to holding. The agent felt pretty secure they'd find Neal if not Peter now that all this was out. He remembered the number for the other phone and went to his desk to call Peter. The phone rang and finally someone picked up. It was Neal Caffrey.

"Hello?" Jones gave a gasp of surprise.

"Neal? How... where's Peter? Oh... You'll have to let me know the details later. We've been looking all over for you guys! Are you ok? Good!" He talked to the young man a moment then started to tell him about the "_dopp__e__lganger_" and everything that had been going on in his absence. He sensed a strange edginess to the young man's voice he hadn't heard before but he figured it was stress from all that had happened.

"Tell Peter what I told you. See you guys soon." Jones hung up and leaned back in his chair, his knees brushing the underside of his desk. He felt something hit his knee. Something small and unobtrusive but it was there. The agent pushed his chair back to see what it was and saw an object about the size of a _button_ stuck under his desk. He pulled at the item and it removed with a clicking sound.

Jones looked at the item and then around the office. Someone had bugged his desk! He held the item in his hand and walked up the stairs towards Hughes office and knocked. The older man waved the young agent in and Jones held up a hand for silence as he pushed the small item onto Hughes' desk. The man stared at it as Jones wrote on a nearby notepad: "_This was under my desk._" His superior nodded with a livid look and took the pad, writing down a reply. "_Someone's head is going to roll_!"

**(Wednesday Evening)**

Jones went by to the Burke residence and spoke with Elizabeth. She was relieved to know where Peter was, having heard nothing but a few tidbits here and there from Jones himself. He also mentioned that Neal was with her husband and that seemed to make her feel all the more relieved.

Jones started to leave the residence, saying Good-night to El when he saw a suspicious vehicle across the street. Soon as they saw him looking in their direction the driver had quickly pulled a newspaper up as a ruse. The agent had a strange feeling about this and asked Elizabeth if he could use her bathroom. She nodded but once they had the door closed, he locked it and bolted it letting her know to do the same with all the windows and back door. She looked at him confused but complied.

"What's the matter?" He looked at her and peered out the curtains trying not to be seen but the car was still there, driver watching the house.

"I'm not sure. Someone's casing the place. I'm certain of it. Let me call in some backup just in case." El nodded and paced a bit as Jones called in the cavalry just in case.

An hour after the call, Jones gave a little whistle. El came over and peered out over his head.

"I guess they weren't who they pretended to be? Glad you were here, Jones. I can't imagine what could have happened." She shivered a bit and hugged herself as she went and sat on the sofa. The agent joined her as she made a motion for him to sit.

"Peter's going to be back soon. Don't worry." She nodded at his comment and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks for being here. All this intrigue since Neal lost Kate… it's all been too much for me but I've learned to live with it. I must be crazy!" She threw up her hands a bit and Jones laughed as did she. The tension eased up some and he peered back out the window to see an agent give him a thumbs up.

"Looks like it's all clear but I'll leave a watch on the house. Peter would want that and I'll stay inside to be certain you're safe." El nodded at the agent and smiled.

"Let me start up a pot of coffee."


	10. Chapter 10

**(Chapter 10)  
(Thursday: 12 am)**

The man who had been casing the Burke's residence ended up being another hired hand who had been told to stay outside that address and act suspicious. Like the "_Peter_" look-alike, Jones was beginning to think something else was going on here. These people they kept catching were just distractions to throw them off the trail for something the agent still had no idea about. He knew that Peter had bought a disposable phone and yet it was the bug under Jones' desk that had probably tipped the "_bad guys_" off to where Neal was headed. It hurt his head thinking about it as he took another sip of coffee. He looked up and smiled as Elizabeth Burke offered him a refill. He held up his hand.

"Thanks but I'm good. Just mulling over a few things. Times like this I really wish Peter and Neal were around. They're good at seeing the forest for the trees as much as I hate to admit it." Elizabeth sat beside him and nodded.

"I noticed they always seem to be on the same _wavelength_ when it comes to cases. It's almost uncanny." They gave each other a look and grinned. Jones took another sip of his coffee then put the cup on the table.

"If I hadn't known they weren't related, I'd have thought they were brothers. Ever notice how much they seem to like to annoy one another like siblings?" Elizabeth nodded, smiling broadly.

"Yes! It's almost funny how much they enjoy bothering the other yet get along so well." She sighed a bit and leaned back against the sofa.

"I worry about them. They are so similar and trust each other so much and yet... the littlest thing sets them off. I'm glad they're friends. I can't imagine if they were to ever lose that. Neal... well he really seems to genuinely like Peter and want to please him. And Peter... well he always feels so protective of Neal." Jones nodded quietly, stifling a yawn. Elizabeth patted him on the arm and stood up.

"I'll bring you a pillow and blanket just in case." The agent made to protest but she held up a hand and made her way upstairs and disappeared for a few before coming back down with a fluffy pillow and blanket in hand.

"I insist... it's been a long day for everyone." Jones nodded and lay the items beside him on the sofa. He watched Elizabeth peer outside the front door and offer the watch more coffee as he sipped his own. Peter was a lucky guy to have such an understanding wife as Elizabeth. She had been through so much the last few months since Neal had arrived but had taken everything in stride. She treated Neal like family. He could see how much she worried about him aswell as her husband.

**(Thursday: 3 am)**  
**(Peter)**

Peter woke up feeling a bit better than he had but his jaw and head still rang with minor aches. He had to say, for a non-violent type, Neal had a pretty good upper right-cut. He smiled slightly to himself, pushing himself up to his elbows and finally sitting up. He pulled the covers aside and pushed his feet over to the side and onto the floor. The world spun a bit and he waited till it stopped before he decided to lean forward and grab his shoes. He had barely bent over when he heard a low moan from the other side of the partition. It sounded like Neal.

**(Neal)**

Neal slept on Mozzie's sofa restlessly after everything that happened. He still had a huge amount of guilt eating at him for what he had thought about doing and had done to his friend. It seemed Peter forgave him but could he forgive himself? He started to remember things. Cases and times Peter had helped him even when he didn't trust the con. Peter always seemed to believe in him regardless and as much as he tried, it was hard for the young man to completely trust anyone. He had learned to love Peter like a brother and he knew now he could and should trust the man. He would be a fool not to.

He was remembering the case in the vault at Avery's. He had given the _breathing tube_ to Peter and once the air had thinned in the vault, Neal had passed out although not before he had shown the agent the "_kill_" switch. It had seemed like a very long time he lay there unconscious before he came to and Peter was crouched over him looking both worried and relieved. It had been nice to think someone cared about him enough to make sure he made it through. In his line of work, you were always watching your back and never knew whom to trust. Peter had his back. That incident had proven it to him more than anything.

Neal's eyes fluttered beneath closed lids as he continued to dream about things. At some point his thoughts wandered to _Kate_ and he gave a little _moan_, his face furrowed in a frown. He wasn't aware of the shadow standing over him, eyes still closed as he slept. A hand reached down and pressed something close to his face. Neal thrashed weakly without waking then slumped across the sofa, mouth slack. The figure pushed another rag into the young man's mouth and pulled his arms back, tying them securely with a cord. Once they were done they walked away, the sound of something _wet_ _splashing_ around the area. Neal moved slightly despite whatever they had drugged him with, his nose twitching slightly as if at something pungent. The sound of soft splashing continued.

**(What was that?)**

Peter stopped reaching for his shoes and stood up slowly, padding to the far end of the partition to check on the young man when he heard something else. It sounded at first like a _dripping_ sound but as he listened more carefully he realized it was the sound of someone quietly _splashing_ something around the outer part of the room. He could suddenly smell something strong in the air and he crinkled his nose up, hand over his face as he realized what it was. _Kerosene_.

The agent peered around the left side of the partition and saw a masked figure with a canister splashing the liquid all the way around the main area. He noticed Neal laying on the couch, his arms pulled tightly behind him and something stuck in his mouth that looked like a rag. The con wasn't moving much which meant he must have been drugged. Peter cursed silently to himself and went back into the "_guest_" room to make a plan of attack. He was still a bit _off_ from everything that had happened in the last 24 hours but he figured he was still good in a fight if it came to that. Peter didn't have any weapons and Neal had taken his gun earlier so he would have to depend on other means.

Peter peered around the corner again and watched the masked man cautiously when he saw something that made him cringe. Mozzie was coming around the corner from his own little "_bedroom_" his hands over his eyes as he rubbed the sleep from them. The little guy wasn't aware of the danger he was walking into.

"Neal, what is that smell? I... Who are you?" Mozzie stood like a frightened deer in headlights, nose twitching and his whole body shaking in fear as he stood face to face with the masked man and a gun. The masked figure cocked the gun back and pointed it dangerously at Mozzie, obviously about to shoot. Peter did the only thing he could and quietly crept around to the right and behind the figure. Mozzie didn't see him at first but even when he did he just started to babble in his normal fashion.

"Uhm, did you know I have a friend standing behind you. He's really big too." The masked man gave a quiet but menacing little chuckle, obviously not believing him as he raised the gun to shoot. Just then, Peter made a motion for the little guy to duck. Mozzie didn't hesitate, although he made more of a fainting motion than a duck but it was enough for the agent to jump the shooter from behind. The gun went off with a loud report that echoed off the walls. The bullet narrowly missed the unconscious Neal, nicking the top of the sofa back, a small cloud of filling flying out. Peter punched at and struggled with the masked man but the man was a bit quicker and managed to cuff him on the side with the gun. The agent slumped to the side and lay there breathing hard, hearing the cocking of the gun again.

"Looks like I don't have to start the fire after all. You did it yourself." His voice was low and condescending as he uncocked the gun and ran out of the storage unit. Peter pushed himself up, coughing as he smelled smoke and saw the spot where the bullet had hit after it nicked the sofa. The friction had caused enough of a spark to get the kerosene started. Flames were already climbing up into the rafters. Mozzie was coughing and sat up looking around with a confused expression.

"Neal!?" Mozzie looked around coughing in the smoke and turned to Peter.

"Peter... where's Neal?" Peter blinked at the little guy surprised he used his real name. He pulled himself up to his knees and covered his face against the smoke. The flames were spreading quickly and heading for the sofa.

"Mozzie, He's on the sofa. Help me get him out of here!" He saw the little guy nod, still coughing and hacking a bit. They managed to each get an each under the con and drag him over to the door. Peter pushed at the door but it refused to budge. He pushed again and heard a jingling of a lock outside. Someone had chained them in! Peter turned and looked at Mozzie who was quickly untying the unconscious Neal, removing the gag.

"Moz, where's the gun Neal told you to throw away? Do you still have it?" The little guy twitched his nose and finally pointed towards his old bedroom.

"I didn't have time to and you never know when you can sell something like that so... yeah it's in the bottom drawer by the bed." Peter nodded and made a motion for him to wait with Neal while he ran back in, hand over his face and bypassed the flames as much as he could. He managed to get to the nightstand and find the gun and clip and ran back to the entrance. Peter almost collapsed to the floor, coughing from the smoke and heat. He took off his shirt, leaving just his tee on and started to rip at it till he made a few small strips and pulled one over his face offering one to Mozzie and putting another around Neal's nose and mouth.

"Stand back!" Peter cried and waited till Mozzie pulled Neal aside a few feet and duck as Peter pulled the trigger, aiming at the door. He heard the bullet go through but the door was still bolted. He tried again and heard a loud crack, the door swinging open and fresh air blew into the space. Peter pushed the gun into his belt and helped Mozzie pull Neal towards the door. They had barely made it to the threshold when a bullet rang out. Peter blocked Mozzie and Neal rolling outside, gun ready. He ducked behind the door but another bullet came out of nowhere and he felt it graze his leg. The wound burned but he turned and shot at the escaping figure as they took off in a black sedan.

Peter limped a few feet in chase before he came back and helped Mozzie pull Neal outside finally and they sat there breathing in the fresh air. He could hear the little guy wheezing and Neal coughing as he woke up from whatever he had been drugged with. Peter took the makeshift mask off his face and tied it around his wounded leg. He heard a whistle from Mozzie who had sidled up to him at some point.

"You ok?" Peter nodded with a slight smile.

"Yeah. Just a graze. How about you?" Mozzie twitched his nose and rubbed at his glasses with his shirt sleeve. He seemed unsure of something but finally he just spit it out.

"I... well... Thanks!" Peter blinked at the little man and saw Mozzie had his hand held out. He took the proffered hand and they shook.

"For a suit, you're not half bad, Peter." The agent blinked but smiled watching the little guy look back at Neal laying on the grass. The young man moved a bit but was still under the influence of whatever the masked guy had given him. Atleast they were all alive.

Peter felt around his pockets and then back at the now fiery storage unit. He couldn't find his disposable phone but felt someone push something into his hand. Mozzie was giving him his phone, nose twitching nervously. Peter nodded in thanks and called Jones.

"Jones, Burke. Any way we can get a ride? We're..." He looked at Mozzie curiously. The little guy blinked then replied.

"10 miles north of NYC." Peter nodded and spoke into the cell.

"Did you hear that? Ok and it's a storage unit off the road. "My Other Home" is the name." Peter was reading the sign and nodding into the phone.

"Oh? Someone casing the place? How's El? Good! Tell her I'll be there soon. Thanks, Clinton." He hung up the phone and gave it back to Mozzie.

"Thanks. Let's see if we can get Neal out to the road and wait for our ride." 


	11. Chapter 11

**Reversal 11**

**(Chapter 11)**  
**(Thursday, 4:30 am)**

Peter, Mozzie and the still mostly unconscious Neal were sitting behind some bushes near the front of the "_My Other Home_" Storage area. Peter wasn't taking any chances being out in the open with the shooter and arsonist still at large. Mozzie started making motions like itching at his arms and legs after a bit rather than complaining outright on his discomfort. That made the agent think that atleast the little guy had recovered a bit from his near death experience. Neal lay on the grass, Mozzie's jacket under his head, oblivious for the most part to what was going on. Peter knelt on his good leg, gun pushed into his belt but at the ready in case something came up.

After they had been sitting out in the cool night air a while, a set of headlights turned down the road and slowed as they coasted into the storage area parking lot. Peter put his hand on his belt near the gun and tensed up. He heard loud breathing behind him and turned to see Mozzie speaking softly in a mantra.

"It's _not_ the man with the gun... it's _NOT_ the man with the gun." His voice was gaining a kind of quiet cadence as it rose in panic. Peter turned back and kept watching the car as the lights turned out and a figure stepped out of the driver's side. It was Jones. Peter relaxed and turned, touching Mozzie on the shoulder. The little guy jumped a bit and stared up at the agent.

"It's Jones. We're good." Peter saw the little guy nod in a kind of vague manner, obviously not as good after his near death experience as he had appeared to be.

"Jones!" Peter called out and stood up gingerly, his one leg still stinging from the bullet graze. He waved to the agent and limped forward.

**(Realization)**

Neal came to slowly. He heard a familiar voice chanting something in the background and realized it was Mozzie. He heard someone else moving around and opened his eyes. Sitting next to him was Mozzie, rocking slightly, arms wrapped around his knees. In front of him was a familiar figure. At first he felt nervous until the figure turned to look his way and he saw it was indeed Peter Burke. The man didn't seem to notice Neal was conscious, his attention on Mozzie. Peter turned away again, hand on his belt, body tense as headlights turned into the lot in front of them. Neal saw a gun at the agent's side and saw Peter touching it lightly, ready to draw.

"It's Jones. We're good." Neal heard Peter say as the agent stood slowly, almost painfully. He saw the blood soaked tie around the agent's leg, watching his friend limp towards the vehicle. Neal tried to push himself up, trying to sit up when he saw a glint of something across the lot to the right. He saw Peter walking out from the bushes towards Jones and into the line of sight of a shooter. Neal suddenly leaped up and tackled Peter as the flash went off across the road. He felt something hot burn against his right shoulder as they tumbled to the gravel drive, sharp bits of gravel digging into his arms and legs. He heard Peter let out a "_whumph_" sound as they hit the ground, Neal's weight holding him down. He was vaguely aware of Jones shooting back from the vehicle.

Neal lay there a moment, shoulder burning from the bullet. He rolled over to his back and groaned softly. He felt a hand touch his arm gently.

"Neal? Where are you hit?" Peter had barely uttered those words then he ducked again as another shot rang out nearby. Neal felt himself lifted up and Peter pulled him towards the vehicle and Jones, leaning the young man in a sitting position against the car. The con winced some but tried to be as quiet as he could. Neal turned and saw Mozzie in the bushes across the way looking towards him like a scared rabbit. Peter carefully removed Neal's jacket and tore a sleeve off and wrapped the young man's wound in a makeshift manner before looking across the hood.

"_Jones!_" Peter hissed across the vehicle. The other agent turned and nodded as they made hand signals.

"Hold on Neal... be right back." Neal nodded, watching Peter run around the vehicle to his right and vanish. He heard several shots from Jones and then more across the road before he heard one last shot and silence. Neal shifted slightly, trying to look over the hood.

It was quiet. Too quiet. He heard a shifting of someone nearby and realized it was Jones. The agent's voice rang out across the suffocating silence.

"Peter!? PETER?!" Finally after what seemed forever there was a sound of shuffling from the bushes across the way and he heard the cock of Jones' gun then the sound of it released back to safety.

"I'm ok! We got him, Jones!" Neal sighed in relief hearing his friend's voice and slumped a bit against the vehicle. His shoulder was aching and his head still hurt from all the recent activity. He was just aware of Mozzie in the bushes to his left looking like some kind of wild animal hiding from a hunter. He saw Peter walk past the front of the vehicle and talk to Mozzie. He couldn't hear what was said, his head fuzzy all of a sudden as he slumped a bit further onto the gravel of the drive. It dug into his cheeks a bit but he didn't care. He just wanted to sleep. What little energy the adrenaline had given him earlier was now used up and he felt empty like a car running on fumes.

Someone shook him after a moment but he didn't respond, eyes already closed.

"Neal, wake up. Come on..." It was Peter but he was too tired and faded away into the darkness and much needed sleep.

**(Thursday 5 PM)**

Peter woke up from what had seemed the longest nap ever.

When they had arrived shortly after 6 am, El had been ecstatic to see him and covered him with kisses when she saw how beat up he looked. He didn't tell her what had happened between Neal and himself but just let her baby him and lead him upstairs. Jones helped carry Neal up and dropped the young man in their guest bed. Peter helped remove the young man's soiled clothes leaving him in a tee and boxers. El took care of their wounds simultaneously and tucked Neal in before leading her husband to their own room and making him take a few aspirin and rest. When Peter was settled he heard El talking to Mozzie and something about a sleeping bag. She must have put him in the guest room because he heard a door open and close down the hallway. She returned a few minutes later and waggled a finger at Peter telling him to rest before she hugged him gently and curled up next to him.

El wasn't there when he woke up. He heard some faint murmurings from the first floor and the sound of people moving around. Carefully he pulled the blankets aside and pushed his feet over the side of the bed. The floor was a bit cool against his bare feet but he found his slippers and robe and pushed his feet into them, tying the robe warmly around himself. He padded softly to the bedroom door and was about to open it when he saw the knob turn. The door opened and Neal stood there looking surprised if not a bit ragged. They just kind of looked at each other a moment in awkward silence before Peter smiled.

"Hey... have a good rest?" He saw the young man nod, his good arm which wasn't in a sling back behind his neck rubbing at it nervously.

"Yeah. Still feel a bit achy. You?" Peter nodded and did the same with his own arm.

"Good. Nothing like 48 hours of hell to give you a good night's sleep." He saw the young man look at him curiously a moment before a smile cracked his lips.

"It was that, wasn't it." There was still a little tension between them but it was slowly warming up. They fell into an awkward silence again before Neal looked at Peter and seemed to remember something.

"Oh yeah. El came to check on me and since I was up and feeling better, she said she was making some dinner. She sent me to see how you were doing in the meanwhile." He smiled with a slight blush, closing the door behind him and leaning on it. Peter seemed to know what was on his mind and motioned him to come sit on the few chairs in the corner of the room. Neal looked pretty nervous but his eyes met Peter's regardless.

"I haven't told El what happened. I didn't tell Jones yet either. It can be our little secret." He held out his hand to the young man and waited. Neal just stared at Peter's hand and then away as if unsure what to do.

"Secrets... I... I don't think I can just forget and push this one away. I could have killed you!" Neal's voice broke as he placed his hands in his lap and wrung them. His eyes lowered and looked at the floor as if he didn't feel he could stare his friend in the face. Peter's hand gently grasped his good shoulder and squeezed lightly.

"I understand, Neal. Really. Trust me. I was mad. I... it took some doing but I realized you weren't in your right mind. They messed with your head. They made us turn against one another or they tried to. They didn't anticipate the strength of our friendship. Our trust in one another." He mussed the young man's hair as Neal looked up at him finally.

"You took a bullet for me, Neal. You didn't have to but you did." Neal looked up at Peter with those blue eyes and nodded slightly, his cheeks still flushed pink. The awkward silence returned a moment and then there was a soft knock at the door and it opened. Mozzie stood there still in the same clothes, looking mousier than ever. He looked at the scene and his nose twitched nervously.

"Am I interrupting anything? El was wondering why nobody was ready for dinner." Peter blinked as did Neal. They shook their heads simultaneously which initiated yet another twitch out of Mozzie. He closed the door and stood there looking at them.

"Neal... uhm anything I said before about the suit is wrong. You can trust him." Neal blinked looking between the both of them and looking like he had just seen something strange. Peter gave a little chuckle and motioned the little guy to sit with them. Mozzie shuffled over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"So..." Peter's voice trailed off and Neal looked at him expectantly.

"Yeah... uhm... you might find this an odd request but... uh when do you put my anklet back on?" Neal was looking straight at Peter who's expression was incredulous.

"Oh... yeah I told Hughes you didn't have it on. I thought you would feel less restricted that way with everything... uhm whenever you want." He shrugged at the con both of them turning to see Mozzie looking a bit wide eyed and gaping like a fish.

"The suit being unsure about the anklet and Neal Caffrey sure... what topsy-turvy bizarroverse have I fallen into?!" Neal and Peter looked at each other and started to chuckle a bit both men shaking hands. Neal gave Mozzie a little shoulder squeeze.

"Mozzie, after the past three days, I think it's better I have some way for you guys to find me. Besides, I need to accessorize." He winked and Mozzie just rolled his eyes, removing his glasses to rub at his eyes.

"I think I'm going to just forget I ever heard this conversation before I change my mind about what I said." The little man stood and walked to the door, turned as he opened it and gave them both a strange look before leaving the room. Neal gave a little stretch and yawn and stood looking at Peter and pointed at the open door.

"Don't want to keep the wife waiting. She's making all our faves tonight." Peter stood and stretch a bit himself, limping a bit off his bad leg.

"Deviled ham?" Peter said excitedly while Neal crinkled his nose and shook his head.

"God, I hope not. That stuff stinks." He pinched his nose and headed out the door with Peter not too far behind.

"Stinks? It's supposed to smell that way. Means it's good. Like limburger cheese and sardines. I mean geesh, you like fish eggs and pate. How is that any different?" Neal paused half way down the hall and turned as the agent exited the room.

"You don't see anyone spending $100 bucks a pop on deviled ham." Peter paused and gaped at Neal a moment thinking up a witty reply when they were interrupted.

"Wash your hands! Neal... Peter!" El's voice rang up from the first floor and they both glanced back at the upstairs bathroom and made a dash for it pushing at the door as they tried to beat each other inside.

"Get out of the way, Neal!" Neal just pushed harder and squeezed through first and stuck out his tongue. Peter rolled his eyes and waited his turn in the hallway.

"It's all yours. See you downstairs, slow poke." Neal grinned in his usual charming manner and started down the hallway to the stairs. Peter muttered something about _jail_ and washed up before following him downstairs.

**(the end?)**


End file.
